


Investigation: Top Priority

by chenziee



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings, No Name Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), athlete Mikasa, caused by tabloid, private detective Jean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-07 21:22:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenziee/pseuds/chenziee
Summary: Eren had thought there might have been something between him and Levi but then the article about NoName's L going on a date with the beautiful and successful track and field star came out and Eren... Eren doesn't want to believe it.He was never this glad his best frienemy had decided to become a private eye with a huge crush on a certain athlete.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZWorld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZWorld/gifts).

> Happy birthday, Roxi!!  
I hope you enjoy this stupid little story :) This first bit is really short but I'll try to update as soon as I can!  
Hope you had an amazing day, you deserve the fucking world. Love you so much, precious kiwi <3
> 
> This fic was inspired by Detective Conan ep. 822 / chapters 925-927.

Eren didn’t expect anything from going on the news site except maybe killing a few minutes of time while he waited for the train home after his classes and he  _ definitely  _ didn’t expect anything that would feel like a punch in the gut when he thoughtlessly clicked on the gossip page. Yet, as soon as the page loaded, he was gasping for breath and feeling like the the entire world was crashing down around him. This couldn’t be happening.

But it was right there, the picture clear as day as it stared back at Eren, mocking him. The man in the photo was wearing a simple disguise, a beanie and thick rimmed glasses, but there was no doubt it was NoName’s lead singer and the object of Eren’s adoration. He wasn’t alone in the photo either, a tall asian girl next to him as they were studying something together in one of the showcases  _ in some jewelry store. _ The giant headline above the paparazzi photo was just adding insult to injury, rubbing the harsh reality in Eren’s face.

_ Breaking!: NoName’s L on a secret date with the Queen of the Track, Mikasa Ackerman! Ring shopping?! _

Eren glared at his phone with the meanest look he could muster. He was angry. Angry and sad and  _ heartbroken _ . After the past few weeks, he had foolishly thought that he, against all odds, might have had a chance with L – no,  _ Levi _ . He had felt so special after what happened then. He should have known better but he couldn’t help himself.

He had attended NoName’s meet & greet a month or so ago in one city over, just a regular nervous fanboy all excited to meet his favourite band face to face and  _ maybe _ talk to them for a few seconds. He didn’t get to talk to them, too nervous and too busy ogling the lead singer to get ahead of the crowd of other overeager fans to steal his precious moment. He didn’t mind though, all that mattered to him then was that he got to see them up close, see  _ L _ up close, hear him talk and get his and everyone else’s sign on NoName’s newest album.

But none of that was all that important in the end. In comparison, what came after the meet & greet was much more valuable to Eren than getting a glimpse of the band while surrounded by other fanse.

Eren had two hours to kill before his bus home after the event, and as a result, he found himself inside a small cafe a block away from the venue. He ordered his coffee and a muffin and settled in a quiet corner of the surprisingly cozy place, finally letting himself relax and let go of the nerves that had a tight hold on him since that morning. It was surprisingly nerve-wracking to go meet your celebrity crush, even if you knew you were to be overshadowed by screaming girls with no shame.

The more his tension subsided, the less he could hold back the stupid, happy grin.

“Did seeing some shitty band up close really make you  _ that  _ happy?”

Eren froze at the voice. He didn’t even notice that someone had approached his table until the bored drawl interrupted his inner screeching. He immediately felt embarrassed at having been caught fanboying by himself with no regard for his surroundings but then the words the stranger said to him sunk in.

And suddenly, Eren was ready to fly into a rage. He growled, shooting a glare at the stranger. “They are  _ not  _ shitty. They are the best...” he trailed off.

There was something about the man in front of him that was oddly familiar. Eren let his eyes give the stranger a once over, taking in the short stature and well defined muscles hidden under the thin fabric of his shirt; he squinted at the black hair styled in an undercut, at the mouth slightly stretched into a barely noticeable smirk, at the sharp eyes with a clear gaze that pierced right into Eren’s soul.

It took him a few seconds to process what he was seeing.

And even when he did, he still couldn’t believe it. Was NoName’s L seriously standing next to him, talking to him? Was he dreaming? Hallucinating? Did his lack of sleep the night before finally catch up to him?

Eren didn’t know what kind of face he was making but it had to be a particularly stupid one because L  _ laughed _ . It was a beautiful sound; even more beautiful than his singing voice, as Eren had decided right then and there. He almost didn’t even care he was laughing  _ at him. _

Almost.

“Why are you laughing,” Eren said with a scowl, hoping he was succeeding at holding back the blush that threatened to break out on his cheeks. He didn’t need to make even more of an idiot out of himself here, thank you very much.

L gave him a look that Eren couldn’t decipher. They stared at each other for a moments, neither saying anything as Eren tried to figure out what that expression meant. However, before Eren could make any guesses, L schooled his expression to neutral. “You looked like you were constipated. Mind if I join you?” he asked offhandedly, gesturing to the empty hair opposite of Eren.

“Go ahead,” Eren replied carelessly, almost dismissively, before frowning once more. “I did  _ not  _ look constipated.”

The slight smirk was back on L’s face when he glanced at Eren. “Oh but you did. Like you haven’t taken a shit in a month,” he explained easily as he made himself comfortable at the small table, throwing one arm over the back rest, his other hand lightly holding his steaming cup. “I can recommend some herbal teas to help your bowel movements.”

A few seconds of silence passed between them before Eren burst out laughing. “You’re disgusting,” he managed to say in between giggles. He didn’t even really know why he was laughing. Maybe it was the fact that L said all that sounding perfectly serious, maybe it was that the impossibly cool, godly rockstar really was just a guy who apparently really liked shit jokes, maybe it was the absurdity of the entire situation. Eren didn’t know and he didn’t particularly care. Not when he first started laughing, not when he forgot he was talking to NoName’s L and started talking to  _ Levi _ , not when he missed his bus because he was so comfortable chatting with this complete weirdo who only drank tea and never coffee and who always held his cup by the rim.

He did, however, care when Levi’s phone rang with a call from his manager, forcing them to reluctantly end their weirdly fun conversation. He also cared when Levi quickly scribbled his number on one of the napkins before he left, throwing a quick, “Text me, brat,” over his shoulder on his way out.

It would be a blatant lie if Eren said he didn’t have a minor freak out or five over the encounter, and it would be an even bigger lie if he said actually messaging the number Levi had left behind was easy at first.

But he was immensely glad he didn’t let his overactive imagination stop him from trying. It wasn’t someone else’s number, it really was Levi’s. Texting him wasn’t awkward either – once he got the first message out the way because let’s face it, those are  _ always  _ awkward. Eren couldn’t have been the only person who was completely fucking lost on what to say after being given someone’s number. At least Eren chose to believe so because then his “constipated” first text, as Levi immediately called it, would be even more embarrassing.

Either way, somehow, Eren had ended up texting Levi back and forth all day everyday ever since. It was fun, Eren loved talking to the rude asshole, and he loved flirting with him even more. He couldn’t help it. He really came to like Levi;  _ Levi  _ and not  _ L _ , and he had kind of maybe thought the feeling might be mutual. It wasn’t like he was the only one flirting after all so he wasn’t completely unjustified in his hopes, right?

His mind went back to all their late night chats, the time Levi kept him company until 3 fucking AM while Eren slaved over an essay he forgot was due the next day, the time Eren had a fight with his mom over something stupid and Levi listened to him rant for ages, the time he had overheard Levi getting scolded by his band mate Hanji for always being on his phone and neglecting his friends while simultaneously teasing him for being head over heels for “his Mr Mysterious”. Hanji’s words. Eren hoped Levi was blushing as much as he was.

No, Eren wasn’t unjustified in his hopes after all.

So either Levi was a complete fucking dickhead and purposely leading him on, or there was something more going on here. And Eren would get to the bottom of this if it fucking killed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Jean was fuming. How  _ dare _ some stupid idiot singer get close to Mikasa? Mikasa was untouchable, beautiful, smart, kind, and perfect in every sense of the world and she was supposed to be single until Jean got the opportunity to sweep her of her feet with his charm and smooth courting.

...A guy could dream, right?

Jean paced around his office, thinking about the news that was all over the internet. Was it true? Was Mikasa really dating NoName’s lead singer? Or was it just tabloids and their usual bullshit?

“It has to be a lie, I refuse to believe it,” Jean muttered to himself as he did another circle around the small room.

A groan came from the couch in the centre of the room, a place usually reserved for Jean’s clients but which was now instead occupied by Armin. A very annoyed Armin. “Jean, calm the hell down, I can’t focus with you freaking out like that.”

“How am I supposed to calm down? Mikasa’s honour is in danger!” Jean whined back, glaring at Armin who by then turned back to the laptop in front of him.

“No, it’s not,” Armin sighed with a roll of his eyes. “What does it matter if she’s dating someone? She has a full right to.” 

Damn Armin and his stupid logic. It was not like he didn’t want Mikasa Ackerman, the Queen of the track and his personal goddess, to be happy, nothing like that, it was just… dangerously close to a heartbreak. 

Jean resumed his pacing to stop himself from that train of thought. Armin was right, Mikasa deserved to be happy with whoever she wanted to. It wasn’t like he had any say in the matter. But still, that didn’t mean  _ he  _ had to be happy about it, right? Right.

“Is it even true anyway? It was just some random paparazzi taking a random picture of them inside a random jewelry store. It doesn’t mean anything. Yes, it absolutely doesn’t mean anything. Maybe they just met up by coincidence and they aren’t dating. It wouldn’t be the first time tabloids jumped into conclusions. It can still–”

“Jean, _ shut up _ ,” Armin snapped. “You want me to help you with this case, let me damn well work on it!” Wow, Armin was scary when he wanted to be. Jean involuntarily shrunk back to hide from the wrath of his small, blond friend.

“I’m sorry,” the detective piped up, hoping to appease the evil little thing on his couch. 

Armin’s big, blue eyes stared him down, immediately making him swallow his next words; so instead, Jean slowly moved towards his desk and sat down, not letting a single noise out. He did need Armin’s help with that case after all, he’d be completely stuck if Armin shut off his laptop and left.

Now forced to sit calmly in his chair, Jean’s mind went back to the issue at hand at double the speed. He really couldn’t accept it, after all. Not until he heard the truth from Mikasa’s own mouth. But how long will that be? How many hours, days does it usually take for people to release a statement? Jean wasn’t sure. He didn’t follow celebrity gossip unless it involved his job to give him a frame of reference. Did that mean he’d have to suffer in silence for who knows how long until  _ something _ happened?

A deep sigh came from Armin after a minute, making Jean look back at the blond. He was looking at Jean with an expression that was somewhere between concern and annoyance now, his laptop closed and abandoned on the coffee table. “If it bothers you that much, you can always look into it, you know?” Armin spoke up, his tone devoid of its previous fury and Jean was immensely grateful for that. He did like this Armin a lot better. “You  _ are _ a private eye.”

As appealing as the suggestion was, Jean still couldn’t help but make a face. “I can’t just start full on investigations to sate my own curiosity, Armin.”

“Why not? Looking at you now, it’s not like you’ll be able to investigate  _ anything _ until this gets settled,” Armin stated matter-of-factly, giving Jean a pointed look.

Jean couldn’t even deny it. He was beyond doubt way too distracted by this whole affair to be able to do any actual work but still, as a detective, he just couldn’t cave in to the temptation. “I just can’t, Armin.”

Armin rolled his eyes at him so hard that Jean was afraid they would fall out of their sockets. Little bastard. It wasn’t Jean’s fault he still had morals and standards for himself as a professional.

In that moment, the door to the detective agency burst open, making both its occupants jump and instinctively look in the direction of the entrance, only to be faced with Eren, that obnoxiously determined look in his eyes.

Jean blinked once, then twice, completely confused by the sudden appearance of his ex-classmate and sort of friend – especially with him looking as if he were on a mission to save the world and defeat all the metaphorical man eating giants roaming the earth by himself. “Eren, what–” He tried to ask, but Eren interrupted him, immediately. 

“Will you do it if I hire you then?”

“ _ What _ ,” Jean asked, completely astonished. What the hell was wrong with the guy?

“I asked,” Eren stressed, impatience dripping from his voice, “if you will investigate L’s and Ackerman’s relationship if I hire you. For free of course.”

“Deal,” Jean replied immediately, not even having to think about it. This was the best deal he could have asked for right now, even if it were to be for free. Who needed money anyway?

“Good,” Eren nodded. “Let’s start right now.”

Jean nodded right back, booting up his computer without any more delay. Eren was at his side in seconds so they could dig through the depths of the internet and gossip articles together.

“Are you guys for real?” Armin asked, incredulous.

Jean opted to ignore him. Of  _ course  _ they were for real, Armin didn’t even have to ask.

It wouldn’t, however, be Eren if he didn’t try to pick a fight over something this simple as the other man basically hissed at Armin, “If you’re not gonna help us, you can leave.”

Armin simply raised his brow at Eren, far too used to how confrontational the brunet could get when on edge while Jean tried his best to ignore the raging fire that was burning around Eren. They wouldn’t get any results anytime soon if they got sidetracked by bickering like they usually did – not to mention Armin really might leave if they started fighting – and they couldn’t have that.

“Okay, let’s see,” Jean started, maybe a little too loud as he threw a quick glance at the news site that first brought the story up. “Looks like neither Mikasa’s team nor NoName’s agency has released a statement yet. High chance they’re still out.”

“You think they don’t even know about this? Wouldn’t someone call them?” Armin asked doubtfully, joining the two of them at Jean’s desk and peering distrustfully at the computer screen.

“Levi never answers calls from his agency when he’s out,” Eren replied absentmindedly.

Jean gave Eren a confused look over the use of the name. Levi, was that L’s real name? How the hell did Eren know, no one knew what the NoName members’ names were; they were guarding their privacy way too well.

Oh well, it wasn’t like it was his problem if Eren turned into a stalker or something.

Shaking his head to clear it, Jean turned back to the computer to open Google next, before answering Armin as well. “Mikasa often doesn’t realize her phone is dead. Anyway, they are most probably still out so if we search for Mikasa, L, and today’s date... “ He trailed off as he hit enter and several hundreds of results appeared.

“Bingo,” Eren muttered, pointing at one of the results about halfway down the first page. It was a link to someone’s Twitter post, titled “Look who was on a date at my workplace~”

Jean clicked it immediately only to be hit in the face with another sneaky photo of Mikasa and L standing too close to each other while a blushing jewelry store employee showed them some items for their choosing. It was a considerably lower quality than the paparazzi shot from before, probably taken on a phone in a hurry. There was a thread to go with the photo, the owner of the account obviously overly excited to share everything with the internet and live-tweeting the entire famous visit to the store. 

“Okay,” Jean hummed as he scrolled through the thread, trying to filter out all the fangirling and take only the important info. “We need to figure out which store this is first.”

“‘L is so sexy. I love his regular voice just as much as when he’s singing. It’s so adorable how short he is.’ I’m going to kill this girl,” Eren seethed next to him, making Jean roll his eyes. As if Eren hadn’t been thinking and saying the same stuff for years. Couldn’t he just focus on the matter at hand instead of virtually fighting with another fangirl?

Shaking his head head, Jean focused back on the wall of short massages in front of him, scrolling fast until another photo came into view. With the message of “Look how good they look together!” above it that made Jean narrow his eyes.

No. No they did  _ not _ look good together. Suddenly, Jean understood all too well how Eren felt.

He tried to quickly scroll past so he didn’t have to look at it but Armin stopped him. “Wait, zoom in on that.”

Jean really didn’t want to zoom in on that and judging by the huff that came from Eren, he wasn’t alone in thinking so. But still, Jean sighed, “What exactly am I zooming at?”

“Right here,” Armin said, pointing at the top left corner of the photo.

Oh.

There it was, the company logo hanging on the wall. He was so focused on the pair that was in the centre of the picture that he didn’t even notice until Armin pointed it out. It was blurry, but they should be able to make it out if they cleaned it up a little.

Jean didn’t lose any time downloading the picture and running it through photoshop, making the logo come to life. Jean frowned at it, trying to place it. He was sure he saw it somewhere before but he just couldn’t place it.

“Where is this. I feel like I’ve seen this before, it’s got to be somewhere around here,” Eren mumbled as he squinted at the enlarged company name.

“It’s in the mall. What?” Armin asked, defensive at the double, judgmental stare he got in response.

“Do you know all the jewelry stores in the city?” Eren asked, incredulous.

Armin shook his head, “Just this one. I got Annie’s ring there.”

Jean and Eren exchanged a look before looking back at the computer screen, determined to ignore Armin. Damn lucky people with actual love lives.

“So we know where they were, what now?” Eren asked, running a hand through his hair.

Jean didn’t say anything, just went back to the twitter thread and scrolled to the very bottom. “They left twenty minutes ago. They still have to be somewhere around there.”

“Come to think about it, Levi said one of his friends opened a restaurant in the mall. Maybe they’re there.”

Both Jean and Armin froze, staring at Eren in shock. 

_ “Levi said?  _ Eren is there something you’ve neglected to tell your  _ best goddamn friend? _ ” Armin questioned, hurt and confusion painfully obvious in his voice.

Eren at least had the decency to blush. “I’m sorry, okay?! I didn’t want to seem like I was jumping to conclusions, it hasn’t been that long since we started talking  _ and  _ I didn’t want to get my own hopes up!”

Armin glared at him fiercely and even Jean couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down his spine at the icy cold atmosphere around the tiny, positively terrifying blond – and it wasn’t even aimed at him. “We are so having a talk later,” Armin said, the lack of emotion making the statement even scarier.

“Nice knowing you,” Jean whispered to Eren, swearing to do his very best to avoid being on the receiving end of Armin’s wrath, ever. It was bad enough being a witness to it, thank you very much.


End file.
